Ma Cherie
by atalanta's apples
Summary: Chapter Five, updated 11.17-Draco reads a personals ad in the Hogwarts Student Newsletter and responds by writing her a letter, but who is he really writing to? Why, it's Hermione of course...but neither know who the other is...
1. Chapter One

**oo Ma Cherie oo**

**oo Chapter One oo**

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"But that's so gross, Hermione," said Parvati. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Parvati, did I _ask_ for your opinion?" she asked, irritably. Parvati looked at her and sighed.

"Hermione," she said, seriously and condescendingly, as if she was talking to either the very stupid or the very young or both. "You don't need to do this to get a guy. If you just let me and Lavender do you up, you could look at cute as a doll." Hermione finished writing a description of herself.

"It's Lavender and me," said Hermione. Parvati groaned and rolled her eyes.

"See?" she whined. "There's one of your traits you just have to drop. Guys would like you more if you didn't­ª act like you knew everything." Hermione smirked.

"It's not my fault I'm always right," she said. Parvati rolled her eyes.

"But Hermione," she pleaded. "An ad? You're practically selling yourself out."

"Get a life, Parvati," snapped Hermione. "It's not like I'm actually putting this out in the Daily Prophet, just the Hogwarts Student Newsletter."

"I think it's cool," added Ginny, who had been listening the whole time. Ginny was still having trouble speaking up but hanging with Hermione had helped her quite a bit. Ginny tucked her dark red hair behind an ear.

"I think you should try it too," said Ginny, encouragingly. "I haven't seen you go out for a while." Parvati glared at her as both Hermione and Ginny suppressed giggles.

"Everything I say is for your own good, you know," said Parvati. She noticed Hermione finishing her note and she groaned.

"Well, I sure hope you aren't going to sign your real name," Parvati said.

"Don't be stupid," answered Hermione. She signed with a flourish. Both Ginny and Parvati strained to see what Hermione ended the description with. It was signed in beautiful letters, **_Ma Cherie._**

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Draco, what are you doing!" cried Pansy, shrilly. She nearly ripped the Hogwarts Student Newsletter from Draco's hands.

"I knew it," she accused. "You were looking in the personals!" Draco yawned and sleepily leaned back on his chair, hands behind his head.

"Would you chill out, Pansy?" he said, pushing his hair out of his eyes. He had been up way too long last night, hanging with some of the Slytherins. They may not be much for an intellectual conversation, but they sure knew how to party. Snape, unfortunately, stopped the party before it got too out of hand but no one was worried. Snape would rather cut off his own right hand before taking any points from Slytherin. He was too into winning the House Cup and taking it away from Gryffindor.

"I can't, Draco," said Pansy, icily. "How can I relax when my own boyfriend is so blatantly trying to find someone behind my back?"

"Pansy, we broke up a month ago," said Draco. _Moron_, he thought. "Now give that back to me." Pansy reluctantly gave the paper back to Draco.

"But it's so trashy," Pansy complained. "Responding to personals?" Draco wasn't listening. That was because a certain description caught his eye. _**Can be seen as uptight but can really relax around the right people. Loves cozy libraries and beaches. 5'1" brown hair, brown eyes, 105 lbs. **A good girl, _thought Draco. He found the most fun thing to do in the world was to make a good girl go wild. But honestly, uptight and libraries? He started flipping through the newsletter but found his fingers and his eyes constantly going back to that ad. He studied it. Who was it? Why, it was **_Ma Cherie_** of course?

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: This poor author owns nothing but the plot

Ma Cherie

Chapter Two

"OMIGOD," said Parvati, practically hyperventilating. Hermione looked irritably over to her side where Parvati's eyes were glued to the letter in Hermione's hands. It was breakfast when the owl flew in with a letter in its claws that dropped right next to Hermione.

"Get a grip, Parvati," Hermione snapped. "And since when did you start hanging around me?"

"Ever since I realized I was on a mission to save you," said Parvati. Lavender was hovering behind Hermione, like a sprite bestowing blessings upon her.

"Well, you guys are only annoying me."

"But Hermione, someone _responded_ to your personals!" squealed Lavender.

"I think I realize that," answered Hermione and opened up the envelope. She read silently to herself.

_**You intrigue me. I'm sorry to admit this but you do. From your ad I see you as the kind of girl with a stick shoved up her ass but something about you seems different. At least on paper. Write back. I'm interested to see if you can keep my attention, which is almost impossible in itself.** _

**Barely Interested**

Hermione frowned when she read the letter. Who the hell did "Barely Interested" think he was? Honestly. Hermione felt herself getting angry but also intrigued as well. She could tell by the tone, this person was completely different from herself. The exact opposite.

Write back. Those words seemed to jump off the paper. It was an order… that she was going to obey. Hermione rummaged through her book bag and found a new piece of parchment and a quill.

"No, Hermione!" pleaded Parvati. "You're going to _write back?_"

"Come on Parvati," said Ginny, reading over the note. "I think it's romantic."

"It's _dangerous_, that's what this is!"

"As if they let a serial killer into Hogwarts, don't be stupid," said Hermione.

Bitter words can sting but sweet ones can kill.

Ma Cherie

"That's deep Hermione!" said Ginny, eyes wide.

"Well, if that's the way he wants to play it," said Hermione, grinning.

"Don't do it Hermione!" cried Parvati. Hermoine rolled her eyes and attached the letter to the owl's leg and let it fly off.

"Well, whatever, I'm off to class." Parvati looked dismally at Hermione's retreating back.

"Since when did she become the official bitch of Hogwarts?" asked Parvati.

"Since you became to stupid to hold the part," answered Ginny. She gathered her things and left too. Parvati looked at Lavender, eyes (heavily lined) wide.

"Did you hear them?" she whined. Lavender shrugged. Parvati stalked off. Parvati didn't like the way the little suck up and a stupid fifth year thought they could talk that way to her. Something had to be done."Dude, you got an answer," said one of the Slytherins. _Already?_ Thought Draco. He read it and his face wrinkled up into a frown. Of the guys took it from him and read it.

* * *

"What the hell is this supposed to mean?" Draco rolled his eyes and took it back from him. He was still intrigued actually. Any other girl in this damn school would have written him a howler full of complaints and insults. But she kept her cool. Draco, grinned. He liked that.

"It doesn't mean anything, go back to eating," ordered Draco. Lo and behold, the dumb Slytherin did. In the Slytherin house, Draco was like God. While the Slytherins were reliving the quidditch match that was on a couple of days ago, Draco, started rereading the short letter over and over again. Maybe she wasn't as uptight as he thought she was. Who was this girl?

"I think Draco's in love," announced Zavier, a long, lanky, dark haired Slytherin boy.

"No," said another. "He's just confused." The table erupted in laughter until Draco gave them an icy glare and they quieted down.

"I think unlike some morons here," said Draco, looking each of them in the eye. They all seemed to cringe under Draco's look. Then Draco shrugged and turned to go and the table seemed to relax. Draco turned back around and put Goyle in a deadlock who in turn flipped him over. Draco howled in laughter as the Slytherin boys all joined in for a rumble.

* * *

"Oh god, look at them," said Ginny, pointing at the table with the Slytherins. They seemed to be in a fight…but enjoying it. Hermione saw several of the Slytherin girls perched on a table nearby, long legs crossed, clapping and cheering their boyfriends on. And for a second, Hermione kind of wished she was there, clapping for one of the guys, looking fem fetale, and not caring about missing the first class.

"Hermione?" asked Ginny.

"Hmm, what?"

"You were kind of spacing out," said Ginny.

"Oh, yeah, I guess I was."

"We should get going to class." Before she left though, Hermione sneaked one last look at the Slytherin table. Draco had come out on top and stepped onto Crabbe's back. He was sweaty with his hair in his eyes. He flipped them away and grinned devilishly. He took off his shirt and twirled it above his head, hooting, the rest of the Slytherin boys joining in. They were really animals. Hermione watched as Draco threw his shirt to the ground, his muscled chest and stomach gleaming in the morning sunlight that was streaming in through the windows. Pansy trotted up, threw her arms around Draco's neck, and kissed him. Then, Hermione couldn't watch anymore.  
"I don't get it, Ginny," said Hermione. "I thought I liked being Gryffindor."

"And you do," said Ginny. "It's just that maybe you're feeling stressed." When Hermione looked doubtful, Ginny tugged at Hermione's arms.

"Come on, let's go find Ron and Harry, I think they'd be able to cheer you up."

"No, they'd cheer _you_ up," grumbled Hermione. The petite redhead was surprisingly strong for her size and she pushed Hermione up.

"Cheer you up, cheer me up, same difference." Hermione sighed. Ginny still had a pretty bad crush on Harry. And Harry being stupid had no clue. Hermione shrugged to herself. Maybe they'll figure it out somehow…but she kind of doubted it.

"Hermione, what is that?" asked Ginny, as they neared the portrait hole. It was what seemed to be a parchment taped onto the painting.

"Did you see who left this here?" asked Hermione, to the Fat Lady. She shook her head.

"I'm not supposed to tell, it's our little secret," she said, giggling. "But I'll tell you this much, he was awfully cute!"

"I'm sure," said Hermione. Ginny was caught by Colin who started talking about classes so Hermione climbed up through the portrait hole and up to her private bedroom. Prefects do have their perks you know. She opened up the letter.

_Still interested. I'm going to push your limits, let's see how far you can stretch. _

Still Interested

With the short letter was attached cookies. Hermione breathed in their scent and started to sneeze.

_Who the hell is this person?_ Thought Hermione, furiously. _Pepper cookies? How juvenile._ Yet that kept her attention as well, and also wanted to keep herself above his level. She took out her favorite sugar quill and nibbled on the end of it, trying to think of a way to confuse him.


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I own nothing except unknown characters (i.e. Zavier).

Ma Cherie

Chapter Three

Let's see how far you can stretch…

Gladly, thought Hermione. She dipped her delicate sugar spun quill into a pot of ink and found her hand shaking with anticipation. She wrote out in her elegant script:

Stretch me for I'll do your bidding

But heed this warning for if I snap

You will feel the sting.

Ma Cherie

Hermione grinned inwardly knowing this would confuse whoever it was that was immature enough to send her pepper cookies. She had a sudden thought. What if the person she was writing to wasn't her age? What if he was a first year? God that would be awful. Little did Hermione know that her recipient was frowning over the same question.

"What if she's a first year? That'd be like cradle-robbing," said Draco to Zavier. Zavier was Draco's partner in crime, photo-negatives of one another. Where Draco had fine white blonde hair and blue eyes, Zavier dark counterparts. Both were long and lanky and in demand.

"Cradle-robbing?" he said, eyebrows raised. "I'd call it bagging a virgin." Draco turned to give him a dirty look.

"You sick bastard," he said and punched Zavier who only grinned in return.

"You really wanna know her age?" he drawled. Draco shrugged. "Then just _ask_ dumbass." That earned him another punch from Draco.

"Ginny," whined Hermione. "God I can't believe I've never considered this." She moaned softly and buried her face into her bed.

"Hermione," she scolded softly. "Calm down. Either you'll have to ask or he will. Don't worry if he is a first year then just stop writing back. It's not that complicated." Hermione lifted her face, already brightening up.

"You think so?"

"God, _of course_ Hermione."

* * *

"I think you just got a reply," said Zavier. Draco had been so deep in thought that he hadn't realized the owl that came swooping in. The letter dropped in his palm and he opened it. He skimmed it feeling a smile grow on his face.

"God it's like you're in _love_ the way you look right now Draco," said Zavier, laughing.

"No, this isn't like any other girl I've ever met. She's…god I don't know." Draco ran a hand through his hair. He was confused for the first time in his life. Self confident, cocky Draco was finally victim to another.

"She's probably a professor you know, getting bored…" Draco didn't even bother answer and threw himself at his friend who was glad for something to do. People in the Slytherin common room gathered to watch a fight.

"Win for me Draco and I'll give you a kiss!"

"Go Zavier!"

"Seven sickles that Draco wins."

Draco caught snippets of conversation around him as he and Zavier horsed around but he couldn't get his mind off of the seductive Ma Cherie. How was she putting him under her spell? Letting his concentration slip, he was thrown to the ground by Zavier. He quickly jumped to his feet to be pulled back by a hand on his shoulder.

"This childish behavior has to stop," said Snape coldly. "Already I have gotten a terrible lecture from McGonagall about my leniency towards the students of my house."

"Aw Snape they were just messin," said some Slytherin.

"I don't care what they 'just' were doing, I want all of you to go to your classes now," he snapped.

"God who died and made him Stalin," Zavier muttered to Draco as the students filed out. Draco smirked but when Snape caught his eye, he flashed his best do-gooder I'm-your-golden-student smile and left the room. He wasn't going to class yet. He was going somewhere where he could get some peace and quiet. Like the library.

Ma Cherie must be rubbing off on him and he's never even met her yet…

* * *

"Hey Hermione!" Hermione spun around to run smack into Harry. She fell to the ground and glared up at him. His grinning face peered down at her.

"God Harry, you could have tapped my shoulder of something," she grumbled as she picked herself up.

"You're okay right?" asked Ginny.

"Yeah. What do you want?" she snapped. Harry let her irritability slide right over her.

"Just wanted to talk to a good friend." He let his arm drape over her shoulders and Hermione was obvious that although the show of affection was completely platonic, it was still making Ginny miserable. She wriggled out of his hold and walked a little faster.

"Where's Ron anyway?" she asked. Harry shrugged.

"He's been busy lately with you know…well Padma had forgiven him for that incident at the Ball, god that was three years ago anyway, and he's fallen into her favor."

"So Harry Potter's left friendless and he comes looking for comfort from Ms. Granger," Hermione teased.

"Come on, compassion for a friend is a virtue you know." Hermione fell back to give him a one armed hug and he returned a quick kiss on the cheek. Except for that little exchange, Hermione was glad to see that Harry kept an arm around Ginny for the rest of the walk.

Hermione finally got a response from her demanding correspondent in privacy in her room. She eagerly opened it.

I need to know:

Your age

And Who you are

I'm a seventh year. Don't even bother writing back if your anything below a fifth year.

Completely Interested

Hermoine grinned. She had him hooked.


	4. Chapter Four

_Disclaimer_: I don't own.

**oo Ma Cherie oo**

**oo Chapter Four oo**

Hermione couldn't resist. As most of her friends say, if she was given a simple question, such as, say, "what is your age" she could never just simply answer it. Hermione even managed to make the most complicated answers out of a simple yes or no question. She dipped her quill into the dark ink that matched the color of the night sky and tilted her head thoughtfully. The age would be easy to answer but to reveal who she was already? _No thank you_. Hermione was only just beginning to gain the upper hand on this cocky, immature person and to give up whatever mental edge she had on him? Impossible. Hermione Granger knew how to play her cards a little better than that.

An impish smile crossed her face as Hermione was struck with a thought. She started to write on the parchment.

_The child of a mischievous creature _

_whose agile fingers and grace help _

_to move among skies of green _

_but what's this? _

_born of like intelligence and wit_

_can only mean trouble! _

If her mystery man could figure this out, he would most definitely be worth her time. Hermione let herself a satisfied smile as she deftly folded the piece of parchment and went to the owlry to send it.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"What the hell does that mean?" Zavier asked, as he tried to look over Draco's shoulder, interested in spite himself. Draco scoffed and scanned the letter more thoroughly, his expression melting away into something more pleasant. It was a riddle! And gods know why but Draco enjoyed such things. If Ma Cherie thought that she could outwit him, well just try and let her! She would be surprised at what he was capable of.

Despite his cocky words, Draco was reluctantly confused. _Child of a mischievous creature_. Was she part leprechaun? Draco shuddered at the thought. He knew only one hybrid of that background and he was quite the troublemaker. The chaos that Johnny created was not just one of light humor but it pushed into something darker, something closer to insanity. Draco did _not_ want to deal with something like that.

Another line caught his eye. _To move among skies of green_. Skies of green? Draco looked outside. The sky was most definitely a slate blue. He sighed and settled his chin into his hands, almost ready to already admit defeat. But he couldn't do that. He couldn't let his Ma Cherie get away. _Skies of green_.

A movement by the window caught his eye. It was a tree, tapping against the glass. _Of course_. A forest where trees grow so thickly the skies appear green!

"Zavier, what animals live in the forest?" he asked, urgently. The other boy gave him a puzzled look.

"A lot, as a matter of fact, Draco," he drawled. Draco cast his eyes on the parchment once more. _Agile fingers. _Wait...wait. It was almost together. Draco was on the verge of figuring it out. Agile _fingers_. Fingers as opposed to what? He was on the verge of figuring it out, he knew it. He couldn't let Ma Cherie beat him. He had never been bested _once_ by another when it came to riddles and wit and he wouldn't start now. He would-

"Crap, we have to get to class," Zavier said, slapping Draco on the back with his leather book bag. Draco swore inwardly. The timing... The _last_ thing Draco wanted right now was to go to class. What he wanted was an encyclopedia of all animals that had ever existed, on earth or in a human's imagination, and crack this riddle and the spell Ma Cherie was casting over him.

"Its Mackie and she'll be _pissed_ if we cut," Zavier persisted. Draco grinned sardonically.

"And I'm sure that she's beyond pleased at your nickname for her." Fine, fine. He admitted defeat...for now. But it won't stay this way for long. The minute Transfiguration was out he was headed straight to the library.

Twice in a week? Oh my, Ma Cherie has definitely got Draco under her spell.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"You know what's weird, Ginny?" Hermione asked, as they walked up to the portrait hole.

"What?"

"That letter, well one of the letters, was posted on the portrait. Whoever's writing to me must know that I'm in Gryffindor and he in turn must be a Gryffindor if they knew that the portrait hole was the entrance of the Gryffindor common room. But then _how_ would he know all of this?"

"Oh don't trouble yourself dear!" Hermione's head snapped up. That wasn't from Ginny next to her; it was the woman in the pink dress, giggling, her scarlet mouth hidden by her feathered fan.

"He doesn't know anything," she said.

"Then how did he...?"

"Well when he was walking by he was just too cute. I offered to hold onto the letter for him and give it to this Ma Cherie he was so crazy about."

"But you didn't know it was me!" Hermione spluttered.

"Well, no," the woman in the pink dress admitted. "But things in Hogwarts have a way of getting to their owners. I wasn't too concerned...and it did! After all, the letter did fall into your hands eventually."

"True," Hermione said, a little doubtful.

"Well, how have _you_ been sending your letters to him?" Ginny asked. Hermione shrugged.

"I just send them off on owls and I guess someone's been receiving them if I'm getting replies."

"Exactly," the woman said, snapping her fingers, her nails painted a bright vermillion.

"Well, if anyone else comes by wanting to give a letter to...to Ma Cherie, could you hold onto them too?" Hermione asked. The lady laughed charmingly, fanning herself with the array of pink and white feathers.

"Of course, dear. I won't object at all if it's that cute boy again." Hermione good-naturedly smiled and the portrait swung open, letting her and Ginny enter the common room.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Fingers," Draco muttered. He was sitting amongst vast volumes that all had names such as, "Mammalians in their Habitats" and "Animals of the World." He had brought nearly all the books that the Hogwarts Library had to offer on animals and he was disappointed to find that half the books were children's picture books. What were they doing here in this library? Hogwarts accepted students at the age of eleven, not one.

Then again, Draco reconsidered, remembering Goyle had carried around "Animals of the World" with him for about a month. Draco had, at first, thought Goyle might have been admiring the detailed water color illustrations but no. It had taken him a month to read the text that consisted of one sentence on each page.

The page was flipped to the "G" page where there was a picture of a gorilla that bore a striking resemblance to Goyle himself. Draco smiled slightly and chuckled to himself. Then he froze. He picked up the picture book that he had deemed useless only thirty minutes ago and studied the picture. The gorilla was holding a banana. It was holding a banana _in its fingers_.

Why hadn't he realized this before? Of course monkeys have fingers! Hell, they even have opposable thumbs! Child of a...monkey! And...and was Ma Cherie calling _him_ a child of a monkey as well? Obviously he hadn't understood the letter...or perhaps he just wasn't finished solving the puzzle.

Draco stretched and his back cracked. He studied his watch and did a double-take. He had been in the library for two hours. Before this, he hadn't even been in the library for hardly two _minutes_ and he spent a whole two hours here without even knowing it. Draco gave an appreciative yet apprehensive glance at the letter from Ma Cherie. This girl had completely unglued him from who he was. Draco wondered if she knew this.

He finally let himself out and walked down the hallway, mulling over the letter. He was so deep in thought that he shouldered a girl and she yelped in surprise. Draco shook his head and mumbled a sorry when a hand grabbed his arm.

"If you're going to apologize, say it like you mean it," said a shrill voice. Draco tried to place the girl. She was a...Gryffindor? No wait, he knew her. Not personally, of course, but she was one of the Patil twins. He couldn't tell which one though he would hardly associate with ether of them. Slytherins did not particularly mix well with either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. Or with Hufflepuff for that matter. They were a solitary group of people.

"Oooh," the Patil twin said, realizing who she was looking at. "Oh hello Draco, I didn't see it was you. I'm terribly sorry that I ran into you." Sure she was. So sorry, in fact, that her eyes were fluttering with unshed tears. Or perhaps they were just fluttering.

"Sorry..." Draco said.

"Parvati," she supplied. Ah yes, it _was_ the Gryffindor. And she wasn't alone. She was with her equally silly friend Lavender.

"Well, Sorry Parvati." As Draco walked away, he could hear Lavender say, "Well, as I was _saying_ Professor Trelawney said that people with my sign tend to be indecisive so I should really-"

"Oh it doesn't matter Lavender. I just made body contact with Draco Malfoy."

Draco couldn't suppress a little egotistical grin as he walked away then suddenly stopped in his tracks. Sign. He made a little u turn and ran all the way back to the library. The librarian cooed at seeing him again.

"Oh hello again dear, what do you want to look at this time?" she asked, her hand flapping around her neck.

"Signs. Astrological signs. Or the Zodiac. Just something, anything, having to do with horoscopes or yes, please give me a book on the Chinese Zodiac." In a record of two seconds flat, the librarian had set Draco down at a table with a thin book on the Zodiac. Draco flipped through the pages until he came across the sign of the monkey.

_The sign of the Monkey represents great intelligence and wit. Because of its extraordinary nature and charisma, the Monkey is oft well-liked. However, people born under this sign have a tendency to guard against opportunity and distrust people. Lose the suspicion and the Monkey can succeed in any field s/he desires. _

That was it. The year of the Monkey was the year Draco himself was born in. And thus, his question was finally answered. She was a seventeen years old, just like him. Draco smiled. This just kept getting better and better.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooo


	5. Chapter Five

_Disclaimer_: I don't own.

**: Ma Cherie :**

**: Chapter Five :**

Hermione couldn't suppress the smile on her face as she held the parchment in her hand. It was a response from her finicky, sour, yet strangely alluring mystery man. She opened it up to find the page filled with a surprisingly neat cursive. Sitting down on the bed, Hermione eagerly drank up each word

_Chime, Cherie_

_And bind my heart_

_You sting of sweetness_

_But who would have thought_

_All the waters of the Nile_

_Can't deny what's happened_

_Don't play the tragedy_

_And live like Juliet_

_I need to know_

_Who you are_

Hermione reread what appeared to be a poem several times. The cadence was so glaringly halting yet it drew her in and made her read the poem several times, not unlike the personality of who penned it. _Did_ he write this? He must have figured out the riddle. _And so quickly_, Hermione mused, impressed. And she did like the poem. He was clever; she'd give him that, playing around with the old joke of the Nile. Clever but not subtle.

She'll take his advice, though. Hermione was hardly going to willingly fall into tragedy like Romeo and Juliet but she wasn't going to end this game this soon either.

_My, how you persist! _

_Answer me naught, you receive none in return_

_Is this how you will play the game?_

_No, shed the attitude and reap the rewards._

Short, simple, to the point. Only one astute would find her answer loud and clear in the message, although it was pretty clear what it was judging from the context. Hermione shrugged. She always liked to add a little something to her letters. As she watched the owl disappear into the night sky, Hermione smiled with satisfaction.

ooooooooooooooooooo

"What'd she say?" Zavier asked.

"There has to be something more to this," Draco said, stubbornly. "And she hasn't refused to tell me who she is."

"Yes she has," he said. "Look right here:_ answer me naught and you will have none in return_."

"But she hasn't _asked_ me anything so technically she hasn't refused me yet. Which is why there has to be something else in here."

"Maybe you're just neurotic and there _is_ nothing else but a glaring rejection." Draco scowled.

"This is so bizarre," Draco said, rubbing his eyes. "This has never happened to me before." Zavier yawned.

"You are strangely obsessed with someone you've never met," Zavier agreed. Draco lazily hit his friend on the shoulder.

"I'm not _obsessed_, exactly. She's just different. In a good way."

"And what good will that do if she doesn't even want to tell you who she is?"

"She _hasn't_ refused," Draco said, again. Zavier shrugged. Draco was being a drag and it was a perfectly good day.

"Let's play go ride out over the lake," he suggested. Draco stood up. If _Ma Cherie_ wasn't going to reveal herself to him right as this moment, Zavier was right in that there was no point to waste a perfectly good day.

It was only after a long day of goofing around with the Quaffle, playing over the serene lake, undisturbed by the squid that day, and a nice long shower, did Draco give the note another look. It stayed on his mind all day, of course, but he stubbornly refused to give it another thought.

Now, sitting down on his bed, his wet hair slightly dripping onto his shoulders, Draco studied the note.

And found her answer.

It was clear, a little too clear, something like a slap in the face. By taking the first word of each line and stringing it together, Draco got his response: _my answer is no._ Would she really refuse him?

He couldn't stand for this. He wanted to know who _Ma Cherie_ was. He needed to know who it was that had the ability to capture his heart with mere written words. _Ma Cherie_ should know that Draco normally got what he wanted and a simple, curt sentence wouldn't stop him now.

ooooooooooooooooooo

It was nearly midnight when Hermione found an owl tapping on her window. She opened it and the owl rested on her arm, looking at her expectantly, wanting to be off to the owlry.

Hermione noted faintly that the Pink Lady must be disappointed that her mystery man used an owl this time. Smiling, she untied the parchment from the owl and let it go. She had been wondering all day whether her negative response would be taken well or not. Either he would continue to pursue her or would give up. If it were the latter, Hermione admitted that he wasn't quite worth her time then. Well, now was the time to know.

She unrolled the parchment.

_Your answer is no and my response to yours is also a no. Two negatives? That would make a positive. Childish logic? Perhaps your renowned wit can save us from my immaturity. Now...tell me who you are. _

Hermione smiled. How very excellent.

ooooooooooooooooooo


End file.
